This is precisely why I don't provide free legal advice or counseling over the telephone anymore. You cannot contact any other professional and request free advice and counseling over the phone without an expectation of payment. I called my doc about my back and she replied "How's my favorite lawyer? Make an appt. and come see me."
I am happy to report that I am close to hiring a legal assistant to work me with 30 hours a week. I conducted my last round of interviews yesterday and my legal assistant is starting work on November 2, 2009. This is my first employee and I am excited and I will work very closely with this person throughout the day on a variety of cases and projects.
My receptionist and assistant will act as gatekeepers. Most attorneys and law firms have receptionists and legal assistants to do the same. You cannot contact an attorney who you don't have any type of relationship with and expect to just start asking this attorney questions. I take calls and speak with my law office clients throughout the day without an issue but these are nurses who have retained me and paid me to be in a professional attorney-client relationship with them. I am always available to speak with my law firm clients.
When my assistant explains the benefits of a legal consultation, most nurses say "I don't have any money" "I thought attorneys do these for free" and make other remarks. My favorite is "I can open the yellow books and get this for free from an attorney." Most do not schedule legal consultations which is fine and we refer to www.taana.org for assistance.
When the day comes that you can open the yellow pages to the attorney section and just randomly pick out an attorney who can competently, adequately, and skillfully provide with you legal advice and counseling and/or representation in a State Nursing Board matter or counsel and advise you on the finer points at the intersection of nursing law, ethics, and professional practice standards and the law, legalities, and legal issues confronting nurses daily in the highly regulated healthcare environment, I will retire. Until then I am "going hard" with my career because my law and consulting practices are unique and I love what I do for a living, don't you? http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=going+hard
This week alone I had at least 8 nurses contact me who needed a legal consultation. I guess its the end of the year and its going down (meaning its on and popping) in some facilities! There was an expectation from each of these nurses that they could just call my office, speak with me immediately, and I would answer all of the their questions, and provide with free legal advice and counseling regarding their specific situation for 20-30 minutes. You have got to be kidding, get the f*&% out of here!!
The only exception are nurses who have a forthcoming or pending State Nursing Board matter in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. I take these calls, speak with the nurses for 15 minutes or so to get a feel for the issues, and either mail or email the nurse additional information about the legal services provided by my firm and how I can assist them in the State Nursing Board matter.
I cannot provide free legal advice, representation, or counseling to anyone; our mortgage payment won't let me do it. We happily refer nurses to www.taana.org or to their State Nurses Association for information and to seek the assistance of a pro bono nursing law attorney.
Do you work for free as a nurse? Do you provide skilled nursing services with no expectation of payment? Of course not. I don't and the same applies to most nursing law attorneys that I know.
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